BT offers tips to avoid being stitched up by bogus operators

BT has expressed concern about the growth of telecoms mis-selling. Most small businesses have been approached at some time or another by telecoms operators offering a better deal. Some are bona fide but many are bogus.

BT is driving a campaign to urge SMSs not to let mis-sellers off the hook and is calling on the telecoms industry to put a stop to mis-selling practices.

BT has commissioned research that shows that more than three quarters (78%) of SMEs say they have been on the receiving end of mis-selling of business services, almost two thirds (59%) of these believing they have been mis-sold telephone services.

Of the 1,000 SMEs questioned, 82% think that mis-selling is a growing problem for their business, 63% believe that the problem of mis-selling has increased in the last couple of years and more than four fifths (81%) find the practice irritating.

Mis-selling takes many forms (see previous stories in knowledgebase regarding BNF Telecom) and there is no strict legal definition. Essentially customer accounts are transferred by bullying, cajoling or just taking without permission.

BT has developed a dedicated section for business on bt.com that provides information about mis-selling and offers advice to SMEs on how to protect themselves or how to take action if they’ve been a victim of mis-selling – see www.bt.com/business/misselling.